Computer networks enable vast amounts of data (e.g., content) to be transferred from one computing device to another computing device. As an example, a client computing device may access multimedia content stored at a server computing device via an intranet or the Internet. Because network bandwidth is limited, various compression methods are used to compress content that is to be transferred between computing devices. As an example, an international standards organization moving picture experts group (“MPEG”) has proposed compression methods for multimedia content.
Compression methods use a fewer number of bits to store data than the number of bits that represent the uncompressed data. Compressed data can thus require less storage space to store and reduced network bandwidth to transmit the compressed data as compared to the equivalent data prior to compression (“uncompressed data”).
Compression methods can be lossy or lossless. When a lossy compression method is used to compress data, the compressed data generally cannot be used during expansion to reproduce the originally compressed data with complete fidelity. In contrast, when a lossless compression method is used to compress data, the compressed data can be used to reproduce the originally compressed data with complete fidelity. Thus, which compression method is used to compress data can affect the playback quality of media content.